SHEFFIELD (Julio Chitunda's Africa Message) - If Sharon Chamwarura performs at the same level she did at AfroBasket Women 2013, then Zimbabwe have legitimate chances of securing the only place on offer for FIBA Africa Zone 6 Group I qualifier for this summer's edition of Africa's women's flagship event in Cameroon (24 September to 4 October).

The three-team qualifier, which includes hosts Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana, tipped off over the weekend in Bulawayo and is expected to finish on Saturday 28 February. 

It is a fact that it won't be an easy task for the Zimbabweans, considering the improvement of women's basketball in South Africa in recent years.

The Green-and-Gold South Africans made a serious statement by opening the qualifier in remarkable fashion with a 69-63 win over Zimbabwe.

With reigning African champions Angola having already qualified for both AfroBasket Women 2015 and the All-African Games, Chamwarura has to step up and help Zimbabwe bounce back from a poor showing at the continental championship held in Maputo, Mozambique -  where they finished bottom of the 16-team event with a 0-7 record - a couple of years ago.

The 1.71m guard's ability to drive to the basket helped her lead all players in scoring (16.7 points per game) two years ago and that offensive firepower is exactly what Zimbabwe need to overcome a South African team eager to return to the continental stage for the first time since 2009.

Dorcas Marondera, the team's second leading scorer in Maputo, is back in the squad along with Charity Chigumba and Yowana Nyangu. The three are all based in South Africa.

But, as Zimbabwe head coach Laddy Munetsi argues, there is only one goal in his players' minds.

"Everyone is in great shape and looking forward to the qualifiers," she said. "The pressure that we're having is that of wanting to go back to the finals having been there in the last edition and it will be a great feeling to qualify in front of our home supporter."

For that to happen, Zimbabwe will try to prevent Botswana from making their debut in the continental championship.

AfroBasket Women 2015 will be the beginning of an Olympic dream for 16 African nations. But only the champions will secure direct qualification for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

The teams that finish second and third will qualify for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Zimbabwe's attempt to join the elite of African women's basketball coincides with a visit of FIBA Africa to Cameroon over the weekend.

While teams are currently battling it out to secure their place at the tournament in Cameroon this summer, the visit of the country's basketball facilities showed there is still some work that needs to be done from an organisational standpoint.

This is what the President of the country's basketball federation, Samuel Tendong Nduku, told me when I asked him about FIBA Africa's latest visit.

"Everything is going smoothly, and hopefully we will meet FIBA Africa's demands in the next couple of months," he said.

"We are confident we can organise a great celebration of women's basketball in our country. As an institution, we are working closely with our partners."

Meanwhile, whoever wins the qualifier in Bulawayo, will be joining Angola, hosts Cameroon and Uganda as the only qualified teams so far.

Julio Chitunda

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

FIBA takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.